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Prick and preen
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Mumbai-based tattoo artiste Arun Alva, who was in the city recently, talks about the rage
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IF YOU THINK IT, INK IT A model displaying Arun's design
All of us rebel. We just ink it differently. Angelina Jolie tattooed "A prayer for the wild at heart, kept in cages" on her left forearm while a 65-year-old schoolteacher in India, a peaceful-looking hummingbird flying through stars and clouds, on her right forearm.
The schoolteacher got her first tattoo (the hummingbird) at Arun Alva's Al's Tattoo n Body Piercing Studio in Mumbai. She loved it and went back for two more.
Tattooing is quite a rage in Mumbai and Arun now has designs on Chennai. He was at the Naturals Beauty Parlour, Spencer Plaza recently.
The hot favourites
Rebels, people who do it for the love of the art and people who get a kick out of the pain come for tattoos, he says. Butterflies, angels, barbed wires, religious symbols and tribal signs are the favourites.
Lovers like to flaunt their loved ones' names but Arun smilingly puts in a word of caution — "the tattoo may outlive the passion."
"But they insist, and I recommend inking the name in a language no one easily understands," he grins. "A girl persisted on her name being inked in English on her boyfriend's hand. Smart indeed!"
Many a celebrity hands have been Arun's canvas — Sushmita Sen, Shah Rukh Khan and Sunny Deol.
"I remember Rakhi Sawant coming in to get one done and ended up with four. Later she dragged in her friends and even paid for them," says Arun. He did temporary tattoos for the cast of the film "Gangster" and the forthcoming movie "Hitlist". "I see to it that my clients understand the design, especially those who will have it on permanently."
In the three days that Arun was in the city a few youngsters came in to get permanent tattoos costing around Rs. 10,000 (it may even go up to Rs. 20,000) while many others went in for the temporary ones that cost Rs. 200 and more. You can choose from portraits, symbols, pictures of animals or messages.
Humour is not out of place. Try a green toad wearing a golden crown with "I am your prince. Kiss me," beneath it. "To hide a scar or an old tattoo, try the celtic symbols," says Arun.
Arun will visit or send his staff from Mumbai to the Naturals Beauty Parlour once a month. For appointments call 45514050.
ASHA MENON
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